Wardrobe-suitcase.



S. D. LOGAN.

WARDROBE SUITCASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17.1918.

1,292,493. Patented Jan.28,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI l.

avwzmtoz LZDLqyan v s. 0. LOGAN.

WARDROBE SUITCASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1?. 1918.

1,292,493; Patented Jan. 28,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

SAMUEL D. LOGAN, OF COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE.

WARDROBE-SUITCASE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

Application filed July 17, 1918. Serial No.,245,812.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it,lmown that I, SAMUEL D. LOGAN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Columbia, in the county of Maury and tate of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wardrobe-Suitcases, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to traveling bags, and particularly to suitcases.

The general object of the invention is to provide a suitcase having the appearance when closed of an ordinary suitcase so designed that it will carry suits, dresses, skirts, cloaks, etc., without folding or wrinkling.

A further object is to provide a construction of this character in which the clothes are carried on hangers and adapted to be separately withdrawn from the suitcase, without creasing or afiecting adjacent clothes.

A further object is to provide a suitcase 'of this character in which the clothes are pressed while being carried so that the garments will be in the same condition when they'are removed from-the suitcase as when they are placed therein.

A further object is to provide a suitcase of the character described so constructed that each suit or single garment may be removed from the case without disturbing any other garment, without removin the tray and even without opening the suitcase in the ordinary) acceptation of the term.

A further 0 ject is to provide in connection with a suitcase of-this character, a tray adapted to be removably disposed within the suitcase or mounted therein so that itmay be turned and dispose either face of the tray at the top so that the door constituting either wall of the tray may be opened.

Other objects will appear in the course of the followin descriptlon.

My inventlon is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein 2- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my wardrobe suitcase opened;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the suitcase partly opened;

Fig. 3 is a pers ective view of the frame for the middle or ottom section;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of the suitcase closed;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of. one of the holder supporting rods and one of the v brackets;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the clothes hangers adapted to coact with the rods Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the separating sheets; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary end elevation of the bottom frame.

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that the sultcase consists of a body section A and two side sections B and C. The body section consists of a bottom wall 10 and two upwardly extending end walls 11. These may be formed in any suitable manner and of any suitable material and are braced with relation to each other by a tray supporting frame, as will be later described. The side sections C and B are alike and each consists of a side wall 12, end walls 13, and a top wall 14. The side wall is hinged to the bottom 10 at a plurality of points by hinges 15 and it will be noted that the end walls 13 are dis osed outward of the end walls 11 of the b0 y A.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the framework of the bottom section A consists of three bars designated 16 and extending longitudinally of the bottom and then upwardly bent as at 17, then downwardly bent as at 18, then outwardly and upwardly bent as at 19 to form a channel at each end of the bottom section. Longitudinally extending reinforcing rods or bars 20 are disposed between the portions 17 and 18 of the bars 16 and the edge of each portion 19 is walls 13 fit within the channels formed be tween the bar 21 and the adjacent bar 20. Tabs 22 of leather or other flexible material may be applied to one section B or C and engage with studs 23 on the other section as shown in Fig. 1.

The top walls 14 are cut away as at 24 and hinged to these to walls 14 are the corner pieces or doors as t ey may be termed, designated 25. Each of these have side and end walls which fit over the side and end walls of the sections B and C respectively, and these doors 25 are provided with straps or other fastening devices 26 whereby they may be held closed. Straps 27 of the usual character pass around the sections B and C and over the top of the suitcase and are provided with the usual buckles, and handles 28 are attached to the top 14 and the suitcase is provided with the usual lock 29.

. Normally disposed withinthe suitcase is a tray section 30 which is rectangular in form and which is provided either on one' side or both sides with the hinged side members 31. p This tray is normally supported upon a frame formed of a pair of angle irons 32 extending betweenthe ends of the section A and illustrated as attached to the upper bars 20, these angle irons as illustrated in Fig.3 being formed with flanges 33 at their ends forthis purpose. Attached to the upwardly extending ends of the middle bar 16 is a third supporting bar 34 flanged at its ends. A curved bottom 35 of paper, leather, pasteboard, hard fiber or other suitable material is attached to the frame formed by the members 32 and 34 so as to form a tray may be completely detachable from the supporting bars 32 and 34, but preferably the tray is provided with double hinges or bars 37 each engageable with one of the bars 32 so that the tray may be turned either over into the section B or over into the section G thus bringing either door 31 upward. In order to support the tray in this position and also in order to brace the ends of the sections B and C, I mount upon the inner faces of these sections, the angle iron cleats 38 with which the tray engages when the tray is turned over, as illustrated in Fig. 4. Furthermore, these cleats when the sections B and C are turned into a parallel position bear against the side walls of the tray and hold it in a vertical osition against any dislodgment and hold the doors 31 closed.

The frame formed of the bars 32 and 34 and of the covering 35 which is disposed upon these bars forms a very vital part of my'wardrobe valise inasmuch as it is beneath this semi-cylindrical member 35 that the clothes, such as suits, gowns, skirts, etc, are intended to be disposed and held.

For the purpose of supporting the clothes Within'the suitcase, I mount upon the end walls 13 of the sections B and C, the supportmg brackets 39. These are formed of sheet metal or in any other suitable manner and have a base 40 disposed in ofiset relation to-the body of the bracket and a flange 41 at the end of the bracket which bears against meg-ace and is riveted to the side wall 12 of the section B or C, the base 40 being riveted to the end wall 13. The body of the bracket 39 is formed with notches 42 and engageable with these notches are the cross bars 43 notched at the ends as at 44 to engage in the ends of the brackets and each provided with two notches 45 at its middle. The clothes are intended to be supported upon clothes han ers, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 6 and designated 46. Each hanger 46 is formed to support a coat, cloak 01' like garment, and

-at its middle is provided with the hooks 47 adapted to engage in the notches 45. Each hanger is preferably provided with the garment clamps 48 whereby garments such as trousers may be clamped between the members 48 in the usual manner. The bars43 may also be provided with straps having buckles on the ends or spring clamps for the purpose of engaging clothes. I do not wish to be limited therefore to any specific means for supporting clothes upon the bars 43 though I prefer the garment hangers 46 having handles 49 whereby they may be readily removed. Attached to the bars 43 or preferably to separate bars 50 notched or engaged over the brackets 39 are sheets 51 of fabric such as heavy paper, linen, or other suitable material which are intended to be disposed between the sets or' suits of clothes supported upon the hangers 46.

In the use of this device the clothes are disposed upon the several hangers 46. One suit may be inserted through the opening 24 in the section C, drawn beneath the member 35 and engaged with the corresponding bar. Then one of the sheets 51 is drawn over this suit, then another suit is inserted through the opening 24 of the opposite section B and drawn in the reverse direction until the suit hanger is engaged with the bar 43 and so on until the space between the member 35 and the bottom 10 is completely filled with clothes. When the sections B and C are turned into a parallel relation, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the clothes will be partially folded over or around the member 35 without however creasing the clothes. Articles may then beplaced in the semicircular compartment above the member 35 and within the tray support, and then when the sides of the sections C and D are turned up the tray will be held in position and the suitcase may be locked.

' When it is desired to remove a suit or garment from my suitcase it is not necessary to open the suitcase, that is, to disengage the sections C and B from each other, but it is only necessary to open-one iii the other. of

bar 43. Inasmuch as each garment or set of garments is disposed between two sheets of material 51 it is an easy matter to withdraw the garments without rumpling or creasing either the garments withdrawn or the other garments. It is also a relatively easy matter to replace a garment within the. suitcase by attaching it to the hanger and inserting it in the proper place between the sheets and drawing it through and engaging the hooks 4:7 with the notches 45 of t e corresponding bar 43. It will likewise be seen that even if the suitcase be completely opened, the suits or other garments will not be disarranged but that access may be had to the tray and to the compartment immediately beneath the tray.

The satchel or suitcase heretofore described, while especially designed for automobile travel, may be used, ofcourse, in an situation where a suitcase is required. t has theappearance of an ordinary suitcase, the only difference being that it is. slightly larger. It isfl designedlto carry mens suits, ladies dresses, skirts, coats, etc. without folding or wrinkling and each suit or single garment outside of the tray may be removed from the suit case without disturbing any other garment, without removing the tra and without opening the sections B and .The tray provides suflicient room for carrying underclothin and other accessories of travel. The clot es are kept pressed and in shape so that when the traveler reaches the end of his journey, his garments are in the same condition as they were when he placed them in thesuitcase and he is not annoyed by having to wear rumpled clothing, nor does he have to have his clothes ressed. A

suitcase of an ordinary size w1l partiall take the place of a small trunk as it wil easily carry three suits of mens clothing or half a dozen skirts or dresses beside what may be carried in the tray.

While I have illustrated a particular form of my invention which I have considered to be entirely practical yet it will be obvious that many minor changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of 't he invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is a 1. A suitcase including two lateral sections shiftable into or out of parallel relatlon, means at opposite ends of the sections for engaging garment supports, and doors forming a part of thetop walls of the lateral sections whereby access may be had to the interior of the suitcase to remove the garments. v

2: A suitcase including a middle section and two lateral sections of approximately equal depth hinged to the middle section for movement into or out of parallel relation,

means at opposite lateral ends of the lateral sections for engaging garments, and means carried by the middle section and in spaced relation to the bottom thereof adapted to engage over the garments so supported and hold the middle of the garments in position against the bottom of the middle section. v

3. A suitcase including two lateral sections shiftable into or out of parallel relation, the top walls of said sections having doors shiftable to open position to permit access to the interior of the suitcase when the sections are closed, and garment engaging members detacha'bly engaged with the top walls of the suitcase and removable throu h said doors.

4. suitcase including two lateral sections shiftable into or out of parallel relation, the top walls of said sections having doors shiftable to open position to permit access to the interior of the suitcase when the sections are closed, garment engaging members detachably engaged with the top walls of the suitcase and removable through said doors, and means disposed between the .sections adapted to engage over the garbody section and shiftable into or out of parallel relation, the middle section being provided with a longitudinally extending member spaced above the bottom of the middle section, longitudinally extending rods detachably engaged with the end walls of the lateral sections adjacent the outer walls of the lateral sections, garment hangers detachably engaged with said rods, and doors forming part of the top' walls of the lateral sections and shift-able to permit access to be had to the interior of the suitcase.

7. A suitcase including a middle section and two lateral sections hinged to the middle section and adapted to be turned into parallel relation or into the same plane, the middle section having end walls and the lateral sections havin end walls overlapping the end walls 0 the middle section when the lateral sections are in closed position, said middle section having a longi tudinally extending member disposed between the end walls and spaced from the bottom of the middle section beneath which garments are adapted to be placed and ex tended into the lateral sections, and garment hangers detachably engaged with the top walls of the lateral sections.

8. A suitcase including a middle section having end walls and two lateral sections having end walls and top walls the lateral sections being hinged to the middle section, the top walls of the lateral sections having openings extending the full length of the lateral sections, each of said openings having a hinged cover, the middle section having a longitudinally extending, downwardly rounded member fixed to the end .Walls and spaced from the bottom of the middle section, bars detachably engaged with the end Walls of the lateral sections adjacent the openings in said lateral sections, and clothes hangers detachably engaged with said bars.

9. A suitcase including a middle section and two lateral sections hinged to the midtray detachably mounted between the end walls of the middle section and having a rounded bottom spaced from the bottom of the middle section, and garment holding members detachably carried upon the'lateral sections adjacent the upper ends thereof.

11. A suitcase including a middle section having upstanding end walls, two lateral sections hinged to the middle section for movement into or out of parallel relation, a tray detachably mounted between the end walls of the middle section and having a rounded bottom spaced from the bottom of the middle section, garment holding members detachably carried upon the lateral sect ons adjacent the upper ends thereof, one s1de of the tray being formed by a door, and means carried upon the end walls of the lateral sections for holding the tray in a median position when the lateral sections are closed 1nto parallel relation.

12. A suitcase including a middle section havlng outstanding end walls, and a transverse channel exterior to each end wall, lateral sections hinged to the middle section and having end walls ofi'set with relation to the end walls of the middle section and adapted to be received in said channels .when

the lateral sections are closed, a downwardly rounded supporting frame extending between the end walls of the middle section and spaced from the bottom of the middle section, a tray detachably fitting upon said supports, the end walls of the lateral sections being provided with cleats holding said tray in an upright position when the lateral sections are closed, the top walls of the lateral sections having openings extending the entire length of the top .walls, and doors normally closing said openings, rods detachably engaged in the end walls and disposed adjacent said openings, and garment hangers detachably engaged with said rods.

13. A suitcase including a middle section having a frame composed of longitudinally extending strips, the strips at their ends being upwardly bent and then downwardly bent to embrace transversely extending members, a covering of fabric .fitting over the frame so formed, lateral sections hinged to the middle section adapted to be turned into or out of parallel relation, a tray detachably supported upon the ends of the middle section, and means on the lateral sections for holding the tray in its median position when the lateral sections are closed upon the middle section.

14. A suitcase including two lateral sections operatively connected to each other and shiftable into or out ofparallel relation, the outer corner of each lateral section having a longitudinally extending opening, and adoor normally closing said opening, brackets attached t the end walls of the lateral sections beneath said openings and having slots, longitudinally extending bars notched at their ends to engage said slots, and garment hangers having hooks detachably engaged with said bars. V

15. A suitcase including two lateral sections operatively connected to each other and shiftable into or out of parallel relation, the outer corner of each lateral section having a longitudinally extending opening, and a door normally closing said opening, brackets attached to the end walls of the lateral sections beneath said openings and having slots, longitudinally extendingbars notched at their ends to engage said slots, garment hangers having hooks detachably engaged with said bars, and transversely extending bars engageable with said brackets and having sheets attached to the bars and adapted to be disposed between the garments carried 5 by the hangers.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afix my signature in the presence of tWOgWltIlGSSGS.

, SAMUEL D. LOGAN.

-Witnesses:

JNo. W. FRY,

J. E. Lm'LEFmLD. 

